Another leader in web development (Macromedia Flash 5)

Member Name: johnsy32

Product:	Macromedia Flash 5
Date:	17/12/05 (90 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Possibilities are endless (if you like this sort of thing!)

Disadvantages: Expensive, with endless possibilities comes endless tools and ways of doing

The creator of Flash 5 is Macromedia and there slogan is “ what the web can be and the possibilities with this program are quite endless, it's only your imagination that can make the most of this program. You can create all sorts of images, animations, full-length cartoons, games and loads more! It is an ultimate tool for web developers and keen enthusiasts of web page design. This application comes bundled with lots of tutorials and lessons, which guide on the basics of what this
program can do, and from these tutorials you can then move on to making the program do what you want it to do. The web pages available online are very vast and you can use the Internet to find out how to do certain things.

This is the ultimate tool in designing your web page. You have your basic features that are included from other image programs like the opportunity to draw lines and shapes and filling them, adding text, choosing colours etc. The great thing about this program that it works along side Macromedia
Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Freehand and Illustrator.

I have been using Macromedia Flash for about four years, and only decided to make the move after hearing about how good this product was and how it was a leader in it's field. I
make my entire web site images, aim buddy icons, wallpapers and full scenes with this application. Once I made the move
to this more advanced application is was very daunting. But once using the guides, tutorials and lessons with the product I was able to incorporate previous knowledge and build on it
with this program.

Things I like most
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The opportunity to add layers into a drawing is the best thing for me, I can add a layer to an image and then I can trace the image beneath using the line tools. It is a great way of producing images for cartoon web sites. I can then fill these drawings and resize them.

A animated menu is another great feature. I always visited web sites and saw Flash animation menus, and now I can create these professional features! The online resources are a great
help, but a tutorial is included with the program to give a basic understanding of how to make an interactive animated menu, but you can go on from that to create things even better!

Installation
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Installation can be a bit lengthy due to the size of the application, the faster your computer the faster this will be. It is a standard installation, where you have to agree to some terms and conditions and click a few next buttons.

Problems
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I haven't any real problem with this program it is stable, it has never crashed for me and loads quickly. Running the program on older operating systems such as Windows 95, sometimes when you go to save or export an image the box won't open up so that you cannot do it. You have to open the
application up again and it seems to sort the problem.

Conclusion
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I can't recommend this program enough if you are thinking about adding animation or making interactive menus for your web site.

You can take courses on how to make the most of this program because of the endless possibilities that you can create. If you are thinking about a career in web development then
Macromedia products are a good one to have under your belt.

If you interested in designing web pages, then this is one that should be used in your creation. The Macromedia web site very often offer trial downloads of the latest version, so you
can get a taste of what is available once your trial has run out. E-bay is a great place for buying Macromedia products and you can save a lot of money. This is quite and old version now, with the latest version being MX, I haven't been able to afford an upgrade but if this version is this great, the newer one must be even better!

Summary: A leader in it's field, the outcomes are amazing.

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